Woruba: World's Basket!

by Murasaki Argenteria

"Oh...?" Kiku blinked, as he stared at the room before him. He had known that Bennett had decided to start with the kitchen, but he hadn't really been expecting much progress.

This, however...

He had almost had to shade his eyes, the room had looked so brilliant. Well, perhaps not brilliant, per say, but it was most definitely cleaner that it had probably ever been -even when it had first been built.

"You've done quite well with the kitchen, Bennett-san," Kiku complimented the girl as he admired the cleanliness of the room.

"Eheheh~ I did my best!" she admitted, beaming at the compliment, "Oh, and dinner's ready, by the way!" she announced, smiling as she moved to grab a some dinnerware, conveniently revealing an electric cooker that sat on the counter.

"We... have a rice-cooker?" Kiku blinked, staring at the machine in mild surprise -actually, he was more surprised by the fact that she even knew how to use it. He honestly doubted that the manual was still in the house, let alone the kitchen.

Juliana just smiled, though, bringing over a set of four bowls, "I managed to unearth it," she told the Japanese boy. "Where are Arthur and Francis?" she asked curiously, "It's been rather quiet for a while now..."

"Hmn?" Kiku looked over to her, tearing his eyes away from the wondrous discovery of the Rice-Cooker. "Oh, Francis-san said something about going out to do something that our Head asked him to do, and dragged Arthur-san along with him," he said by way of explanation.

Honestly, even if Francis hadn't left with Arthur, he somewhat doubted that the Briton would be able to stay quiet for long...

"Oh, I see!" she said, "Then I suppose I should put these away..." she trailed off, looking at the extra two bowls she'd carried over.

"I don't think you'd need to put them away -from what Francis-san was saying, I don't think they'll be away for too much longer -they left a few hours ago, you know."

She blinked, "Eh? Really?" She hadn't noticed, to be honest -then again, cleaning out the kitchen had taken some time... Although, the good thing about it was that she had managed to prepare dinner from some of the still edible foodstuffs in the freezer once she'd found it. She had also re-arranged some of the cabinets so that dinner-ware, utensils, and seasonings and the like weren't mixed together, but she was sure they wouldn't mind about that, at the very least. She was still surprised that they had managed to live for so long with the kitchen in the state it was.

From the layers of filth in there, she would've guessed that it had been piling up for nearly a year now...

"Then, I suppose I should prepare their share as well," she said, glad to know she hadn't made a mistake.

"Do you need any help carrying the food out?" Kiku asked, as she started to scoop out the rice.

"Eh? Oh, uhm... I suppose -where do you normally eat?" she asked.

"The other room," he answered, walking over to the delicious looking (and smelling) platters on the other side of the cooker, "I believe it was the one we first received you in," he admitted, recalling her outburst at the time rather dryly. Despite being sick, she had managed to act so energetically...

"O-Oh..." she blushed a little. It was quite obvious that both were thinking of the same thing, and a slightly awkward silence fell between them.

"I-In that case, then, please feel free to start setting it on the table!" she started, trying to calm herself down, "I'll bring the rice once I finish here," she told the other.

"Y-Yes, of course," Kiku answered, before taking a few of the dishes, and hastily making his exit.

Juliana just continued to scoop and serve the rice, making sure that everyone got the same amount, before covering them with the small plates that looked like they went with it. She carefully stacked them, so that there were two in each hand, and carried it out, just as Kiku returned.

"Ah, here. Please let me help," Kiku started, taking the top two bowls of rice.

"Oh! Uhm, thank you, Kiku!" she smiled at the boy, as they walked to the table, "I'll go get the utensils if you don't mind grabbing the last few dishes," she told him.

"Not at all," he said with a slight smile as he walked around the table to put his two bowls of rice at the two other places.

By the time Kiku got back to the kitchen, Juliana was nowhere in sight, but he figured she'd probably just gone to the restroom or something, as he got the last few dishes, as requested, before he left, though, he stopped by the utensil drawer (and the only drawer that Juliana hadn't re-arranged, surprisingly), but found that his chopsticks and several utensils were gone.

"...?" Surprised, Kiku wondered if maybe he'd somehow passed her without knowing, but when he opened the kitchen door and walked out, he almost ended up walking right into the person he had been thinking about.

"Ahk-!" Luckily, both parties had managed to stop in time, "Oh, Kiku! You startled me!" Juliana admitted, as they walked back to the (apparently) dining room together.

"My apologies, Bennett-san, though you startled me as well," he admitted.

He had almost dropped all the food -and that would have been a huge waste...

"I'm sorry," she said, looking properly admonished.

"Where did you go anyways?" Kiku asked curiously, seeing that she had the utensils with her, though she had an extra set of chopsticks that he didn't recognize.

"Oh, I went to get my chopsticks," she told him, "I figured you wouldn't mind that I'd brought them, when I saw that you had a pair in the drawer," she admitted.

"Ah," Kiku nodded. They were the ones he usually used, but with the fact that they had been eating out as of late, and the kitchen had been turned into an ocean of trash, he had just used the disposable chopsticks that came with the take-out (plus, it was rather entertaining to watch France fumble around with the chopsticks, give up, then eat with his hands, before he got reprimanded, and had to bear with eating slopping using the chopsticks).

"In that case, shall we eat or should we wait?" she asked, as they finished setting the table.

"We should probably wait..." Kiku started, before his stomach made it known that it did not like the idea of waiting.

Juliana giggled, when Kiku started to blush, covering his stomach as best he could, "I'm sure they won't mind if we go ahead without them," she said with a smile, "It's not healthy to let your stomach go empty for too long, you know," she chided lightly.

Kiku just smiled, "That's true," he said, though a little sheepishly, as they sat down together. Seeing as their chopsticks had been placed next to each other, though, they ended up sitting at ninety degree angles from each other.

"Let's dig in then, shall we?" she smiled, holding up her chopsticks.

Kiku just smiled, "Yes," he said with a smile, "Itadakimasu," he said as his custom dictated, before picking up his rice and chopsticks. He felt a little awkward being the only to say it, but...

"Itadakimasu!" He blinked, looking over at Juliana in surprise, as she clapped her hands together, even though she was still holding her own utensils and picking up her own bowl. Noticing his look, she smiled, "It's a bit awkward to be the only one to do it, right?" was her way of explaining it.

"Ah," Kiku blinked in surprised, but smiled, "Thank you, Bennett-san," he said, as they both dug in.

"No thanks, Kiku!" she smiled, "I'm just glad I'm not the only one using chopsticks," she admitted.

"I see," he said, before digging in, "...It's good," he said, once he'd tasted the food.

"Really? It's not too bland?" she asked, looking just a little nervous, "I tend not to use a lot of salt, so some people say it's bland..." she admitted, "I wasn't sure if you preferred lighter or heavier flavors," she told the other.

Kiku just smiled, "No, I'm surprised you didn't add more salt, I actually prefer lighter flavors," he said, though he was smiling partly from nostalgia, "It's been a while since I've had a home-cooked meal like this, too," he said, remembering when he used to eat with his brother.

"Oh, really?" she asked, "Didn't Francis ever cook anything?" she wondered, after eating a little as well.

"Well, yes," he admitted, "But I meant an Asian meal," he admitted, "Usually it's either me or Francis who cooks," he told her, "We used to have someone who cooked for us," he admitted, vaguely remembering that the person who helped keep their house clean had also cooked on occasion, "but they disappeared sometime after Arthur-san did as well, surprisingly," he admitted, frowning.

Oddly enough, he couldn't really remember who it was -something that was strange because Kiku usually had such a good memory...

"Oh, really?" she blinked, tilting her head slightly, "That's odd," she said absently, though she really didn't know how odd it actually was, from the mildly perplexed expression that Kiku wore, she figured that it was.

Kiku just nodded, "It was, but we've learned to live with it," he said, "Francis said he hadn't recalled hiring any help to begin with, so..." he shrugged.

It had just been strange was all.

"Oh, I... see," she said, before silence fell, and they ate a bit more.

After a while, though, the conversation started again.

"Where do you think Francis and Arthur went?" Juliana wondered, staring at the clock a bit, it was nearing eight and neither male had returned yet.

"Well, I'm not really sure," Kiku said, pausing from eating for a bit as he looked at the clock as well, "It is getting late though..." he frowned.

"I hope they come back soon..." said Juliana as they ate a bit more.

Kiku just nodded, "It would be a shame for the food you made to get cold," he admitted.

"Heehee," Juliana smiled.

.

Mom, right now, I'm eating dinner with Kiku Honda, who transforms into the National Animal of Japan. Strange, isn't it? she asked her mother.

It's almost like a fairy tale.

.

"Oh, you went out earlier as well, right, Kiku?" she asked, remembering that she'd seen Kiku leave from the kitchen window when she'd opened it to air the room a little. "Were you shopping?" she wondered.

"...?" Kiku blinked, finishing the vegetable in his mouth, before he answered. "Oh, I was in the backyard, Bennett-san," he said, falling silent for a moment, as if hesitating, before he went on. "I was in my secret base," he admitted.

"Secret Base?" Juliana blinked, looking at the other curiously, "That sounds exciting!" she smiled, thinking of the typical secret base a child might come up with or make. Quite honestly, the one she was thinking of looked more like a fort than anything else.

Kiku chuckled, almost as if he could see what she was thinking of. "It's not what you think," he admitted, "But...

"If you want, I'll show it to you, next time," he said, smiling when her eyes seemed to light up.

"Really? Are you sure?(!)" she asked excitedly, "Oh, wow! I get to see a secret base~!" she cheered, practically beaming.

Kiku smiled, as he watched on, listening to her ramble. She really was quite interesting.

"...but girls weren't allowed," she pouted, as she recalled the only one she could remember. Some boys in her neighborhood at the time had built one, but, quite obviously, it had been one of those 'boys only' bases. "I can't wait!" she grinned...

And she honestly couldn't.

But, as all things do. Even the good had to come to an end, as the door slammed open, revealing a very irritable looking Briton, followed closely by an oddly serious looking France.

"Just listen to me for a second, Angleterre!" Francis called, as Arthur stalked into the room.

"SHUT UP, YOU WANKER!" the Briton exclaimed, "AGH-! I HATE YOU, STUPID FROG! DO YOU REALLY GET THAT MUCH ENTERTAINMENT FROM PLAYING AROUND WITH A PERSON'S LIFE?(!)"

"Well... Oui, now that you mention it, I do -but this is for your own good, Arthur!" the Frenchman called, stepping after him.

"YOUR PERSUASIVE SKILLS ARE BLOODY TERRIBLE, YOU GIT!" he yelled, not even looking back at the blonde behind him.

"Urh... Welcome... home...?" Juliana blinked, as Arthur passed, "Uhm, Dinner's-"

"NOT BLEEDIN' HUNGRY!" Arthur snapped, slamming the door as he passed through the room.

"Eh-?" Juliana was a bit taken back at Arthur's anger, though she probably shouldn't have been surprised, as she heard his feet stomp up the stairs towards his own room.

"Arthur-!" Francis called, "Angleterre, don't take this out on Jeune Jay!" he called, as he began to pull his shoes off, "And come back down here,cet instant and take those shoes off!" he called after the green-eyed male.

"... He's right, you know," Kiku pointed out, "You really do need to work on your persuasive skills, Francis-san."

"Oh!" Jay blinked, when she realized she was staring at Francis, "This is the first time I've seen you in a suit!" she smiled, "You look really nice, Francis!"

"Oui? You really think so?" he asked, striking a small pose.

"...Yes, you remind me of a talk-show host, Francis-san," Kiku told the elder man.

"Ohohoh~" Francis smirked, before he noticed the spread on the table, "Oh, Dinner's ready~?" the Frenchman smiled as he sat down and picked up a fork.

"Oh, yes!" Jay smiled, "Please, sit!" she said, though it was a little late. "Uhm, Francis...?" she started after a while.

"Oui, jeune Jay?" he answered once he finished his mouthful of food.

"W-why... is Arthur so mad?" she asked.

"Oh, that. Best to leave that sot alone," he admitted, "I tricked him into taking a proficiency test."

"Pro...ficieny test...?" she blinked. Wasn't that one of those test one took to see what grade a person would be put in if, for whatever reason, someone had to take one...?

"Oui. Starting tomorrow, Angleterre will be attending the same high school as you two!" he smirked.

"...That explains the smirk," Kiku mumbled, somehow able to keep the others from hearing as he ate another vegetable.

"Oh, wow! Really?(!)" she asked, excited, before she remember the other's reaction. "But... why was he so upset about it...?" she asked.

"..." Francis was quiet for a while as he chewed his food thoughtfully. Would Angleterre kill him if he told her...?

Nah, it was such a minor thing, he thought, swallowing. "Well, you see. The last time Angleterre took a proficiency test, he didn't attend the boys' private academy even though he passed," he explained. "Instead, he went missing for a little over a year."

"No one knew where he'd been until now," he said, looking completely serious, despite the fact that he'd long since taken the suit off, "I found out where he'd been for so long, today," he said, "It seems Angleterre's been 'training' in the mountains," he told them.

"Training...?" Kiku blinked, staring at the Frenchman with his chopsticks halfway up to his lips.

"You mean... like sitting under a waterfall and wrestling bears to find himself? That kind of training?(!)" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Er... well, something like that, I suppose. Oui."

"What would he do with that sort of training?" Jay wondered, more than a little confused.

Not even Francis knew the answer to this, though Kiku had an idea.

"... It's probably to control his anger," Kiku spoke at last, surprising the other two.

"Oui?" Francis looked startled, while Jay just looked plain surprised.

"Eh? Arthur has Anger issues...?" she blinked.

"..." Both males stared at her, sweating somewhat. Had she not noticed his anger management issues until now...?

"...?" Jay just tilted her head a bit cluelessly as the two sighed.

"Arthur-san has always been quick-tempered," Kiku said at last. "It's gotten him into trouble more than once, Bennett-san."

Francis nodded in agreement, "That sot," he said, thinking about what an idiot the male was.

He'd been gone for over a year, and yet, there was still no visible progress. True, it took a little more to get him riled up, Francis could admit, but the male was still too easily annoyed

"Oh... I see," was all Jay said, as she fell quiet -almost subdued, in her thinking.

The rest of dinner continued on in silence...

"Where?(!) D'you see 'im?" "Yeah, over there! The blonde kid with the giant eyebrows!" "What~~? They don't look like each other at all!"

"Teehee~ Are those eyebrows for real?(!)"a girl giggled off to the side.

Half the school had appeared just to see "Kiku's cousin", but, judging from the irritated and nervous look on his face...

Ahahah... He's getting scared...! though Jay, as she and her two friends watched the congregation from a safe vantage point.

"Heh. He acts like he's never been around girls," Rissa smirked, her sadistic nature coming out as she watched the poor blonde squirm.

"Hey, hey, are you really Kiku's cousin?(!)" a girl asked the poor Brit, who looked just about ready to explode.

"He... he gives off a similar aura as Kiku," Rei murmured, nibbling at her chips.

"It's almost as if they weren't completely human..."

"Ahahah..." Jay sweat, Oh no! I forgot! Rei can read auras really well! she thought, panicking a bit in her head at the possibility that she would find out about their 'secret'.

"Huh, really?" Rissa glanced back at the platinum-haired girl curiously before going back to watching the 'drama'. "That's interesting," she murmured, munching on the rest of her pocky. She had managed to get the last stick, which had forced Rei to open her pack of potato chips as well.

Off to the side, Kiku was being questioned by some of the upperclassmen in their Homeroom, though he seemed to take it all in stride, as he continued to write in his notebook.

"Hey, Kiku, is it true that your cousin transferred here?" asked a raven-haired senior, "Think you can introduce us~?" she asked, giggling a bit.

"...?" Kiku paused in his writing to look up, before smiling politely at the female. "My apologies, senpai, while it's true that he is my cousin, we really aren't that close," he said apologetically.

"Aw~~" the girl pouted, "Oh alright, I'll stop bothering you then!" she said, "Thanks anyways!" she called back as she walked away.

Kiku just nodded absently as he went back to his work -though, what he was working on was a bit of a question as well...

"Ah, Ar...thur?" Jay blinked, when the sound of a chair being pushed back caught her attention, and her eyes wandered over to see said blonde getting up and walking away.

It seemed that he couldn't really handle being around so many people anymore...

"Ah, hey, wait! Where're you going~? Let's talk~~!" one of the more forward girls made a grab at the poor brit's arm before anyone could warn her.

Unfortunately, as stressed out as he was, he was unable to give any warning as he went into autopilot, automatically detaining the girl, in a somewhat painful way. It seemed that he had cracked, after all..

"Eek~! Owowow-! Let go! That hurts!" she exclaimed, when the girl suddenly found herself on the ground, with her arm twisted behind her back.

"A-Arthur-!" Jay started, hurrying over, "What's wrong?(!)" she asked as she and her friends rushed over.

"Hey, hey! Chill, малыш (malysh/kid) !" the taller of the trio called, "C'mon, let 'er go, идет (idet/ok) ?"

"JUST LEAVE ME THE BLOODY HELL ALONE, YOU WANKERS!" the Brit exclaimed at last, making a dash for the closest window, and, pulling it glass and mesh-covering up, he jumped.

"EEEK-!" one of the girls screamed, thinking he was suicidal.

"WAIT! THIS IS THE SECOND FLOOR!" the other girl exclaimed, rushing over to the window.

They were too late, though, as the green-eyed youth landed expertly and dashed off.

"..." Several students were shocked into speechlessness, but Rei, despite being quiet, was more surprised than shocked, as she pondered just what this could mean.

She had seen the boy's aura flare dangerously, the color darkening and flickering in anger, nervousness, and fear -definitely fear. As to why, though, she had no idea...

But it truly was something to ponder -for now, though...

"Oh my god! Did you see that?(!)" the more excitable students were starting to gossip and chatter.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed another student.

"Yeah! That Arthur sure is special!" "Special? He's a freak! This is the second floor!" exclaimed another, while the girl that had had a hand in causing all the mayhem just sniffled, crying a little, though it was more out of frustration.

"How dare he pick on a girl?(!)"

"..." The only ones with no real comments were Kiku, Jay, and her two friends, though Rissa was laughing.

"Hahah~ What an interesting guy!" she grinned, as Jay chuckled nervously.

After all, it wasn't everyday one saw a boy jump out the second story window...

Out near the back of the school, a certain blonde was panting from his excursion as he forced himself to calm down, hands fisted in his lap as he scowled. Under the cool shade of the trees, he sat down on of the lower brick walls, taking deep breaths.

He'd done it again. He'd just... exploded... and in front of those 'normal' people as well...

They probably thought he was a freak now, too... Just great, he thought as he somehow managed to calm himself, unaware of the figure silently closing in on the male.

"...Arthur-san." Even the quiet tone Kiku used started the man, who whirled to face his 'cousin', though it was a rather loose word for their relationship...

They weren't really related, aside from the curse. None of them really were.

"Oh... Kiku, it's you," the boy looked decidedly more relieved, though he quickly regained the worried look as he opened his mouth to speak again. "Look, about what happened in the classroom-" he started.

Kiku shook his head, "It's alright, Arthur-san," Kiku said, "Just please try not to cause such ruckuses, anymore -it's quite bothersome for me to explain," he told the other.

For a moment, the blond looked properly chastised, before scowling, "I still don't understand why you go to a school that's so full of bleedin'girls," he grumbled, though it was with a sigh, rather than a building argument -he honestly couldn't.

"..." For a moment, Kiku was silent, as he took a seat next to the Briton, folding his hands as he leaned onto his arms, staring at the open palms of his hands, before deciding to answer, despite the fact that it had been a rhetorical question

"Because it's better than hiding in fear everyday," he said, "Or going to an all boys' Academy on his orders," he continued.

"..." Arthur looked at the other in surprise -he knew the other was a rather deep thinker, but this...? And the fact that he was doing it because he wanted to disobey their 'God'...

"I... want to be able to come out of the 'cage' we're stuffed inside -even if it's just for a little bit," he continued, as his gaze averted itself into the branches overhead. "I honestly can not understand why you wish to live in that cage so badly, but I would not begrudge you of your freedom of thought," he continued, careful not to be too blunt, as he was sometimes told he was.

Even a blunt knife could cut, maybe not as cleanly as a sharper knife, but it could cut nonetheless.

"I..." the blonde swallowed, "You... don't understand," he said at last, as he tried to put a lid on his anger -partially caused by his 'shame', though why he felt that way, he had yet to understand himself.

"Francis... that bloody frog..." he started, but even saying that idiot's name was like a catalyst for the green-eyed boy.

"I'll... I'll definitely beat him! The ruddy bastard!" he grit his teeth, trying not to 'explode' again as he already had. "I don't want to be shunned by the others-!" he exclaimed angrily, slamming a fist into the wall he sat on, not seeming to realize that he was bleeding from the impact with the rough stone.

"I'LL GET STRONGER AND BE ACKNOWLEDGED AGAIN!" he exclaimed, panting as he stood on the concrete. Beside him, Kiku watched with apathy -he had known the explosion would've come sometime, though he still made the mistake of replying, even though he knew he shouldn't have.

The Brit needed it, though. An Outlet. For his anger, his hatred -hispain...

"I still don't see why you think it's so wonderful for us to be what we are," he said, though it wasn't in scorn or anger of any type, the blond seemed to take it the wrong way nonetheless.

"SHUT UP!" he exclaimed, grabbing the other teen by the collar, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" he yelled.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A THING ABOUT ME!"

"No-!" the sudden exclamation surprised both of them, as they caught a flash of onyx hair, before the brit felt a warm weight slam into him. "You can't-!" she cried out, mistaking the elder boy's anger for aggression.

"Ahk-!" she hadn't realized what she'd done until after the fact, but she tried to 'stop' him nonetheless. "I'm so sorry! Uhm, I know you're angry but... but, please-! Don't fight anymore!" she babbled on, unaware that the feline was more than a little ticked off now, "P-People get in trouble for fighting as school, so-!"

"Oh, shut up!" the feline exclaimed, "I don't care if I get in trouble, so stay out of my way, already!" he exclaimed, causing more of a misunderstanding than before, as he 'exploded'.

"Arthur-san..." Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all... he thought, as he watched the British Feline rail at the poor girl.

"I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO SEE YOU!" were the final words that she heard.

"..." For a moment, all three were silent. One in surprise, one in realization, one in apathy, and all in some shock, as the only female of the trio finally got up, eyes shadowed, and expression unreadable as she walked off in silence.

"Ah-!" Realizing what he'd said, Arthur tried to fix it, but -as always, he was too late.

She was already gone...

As the two stood there, there was only one thought that continued to repeat and wind itself through the female's head:

He hates me-! He really hates me!(!)

As she disappeared from view, Kiku sighed, shaking his head. "You know, you went too far with that," was all he said, before walking away from the feline

"...You aren't going to hit me...?" the male asked.

"...No," Kiku answered, stopping for a moment. "There are times when it hurts more not to," he finished, before leaving.

And so it was, with those words ringing through his ears, that Arthur Kirkland reached a silent paw out to pull his shirt over.

Kiku had been right, of course. It had hurt more that the other hadn't hit him.

After all, even though the male was a 'pacifist', he was still an expert martial artist, and he probably could've sent both Arthur and Francis back onto their arses if he were annoyed enough, though he never did.

Apparently it wasn't worth it to break up a fight that would just happened again later, when he could just let it run its course for now -unless there was a good reason for him to step in, anyway.

.
.

"That's it! I'll stop being American and become British!"

I'd actually meant that.

I'd really been crying, too, when I found out that he'd been ostracized like he was -just for being different, and -as I now realize- for having a more open mind.

Plus the fact that he had been tricked into being so late for the Millennial Banquet that God threw, causing people to think that he was arrogant, when he had arrived like he had -his first Millennial Banquet, too. Even though he hadn't known, because he had believed the other Nation that so liked to tease him.

Added to the fact that he had chosen the Lion, a proud animal, as his National Animal hadn't helped either.

.

Ah~ What should I do now...? Jay thought, staring at the wall in a daze, as she recalled her past memories.

She was currently sitting on the floor of an empty hall (self-punishment), thinking over what she should do.

Should she apologize to him? He really seemed to hate her after all... Just what could she do...?

"Ah..." Turning the corner, Kiku was about to call out to Juliana, when he heard someone else, and stepped back to hide his presence in case he wasn't welcome -plus if people saw them talking after they didn't usually...

It'd just be way too suspicious.

"There-! I can feel her aura coming from this hallway," came the familiar sound of Rei's apathetic voice

"Ah! There she is~" Rissa said, as they walked into the hall.

"Oh-!" Jay started, seeing her friends, and panicked mentally If they saw her crying by herself-!

"What are you doin' there, Jules? Class is about to-"

BAM-! "O-Ow...!" Jay sniffled, her eyes tearing up even more, as she began to regret the split-second decision "I-It hurts so much-!" she sobbed, one hand on the edge of the Fire Extinguisher's case, as the other rubbed her aching head.

"Ow-! Ju-Just now... This corner...! Ngh..."

"H-Hey... Jules," Morissa sweat, one hand reaching towards the other girl, as she sweat, "If I didn't know better I'd say you ran into it on purpose, дорога (doroga/dear one)!" she said, as the two females walked closer to the girl, using a pet name sometimes used for the two.

"..." Rei nudged Rissa, shaking her head at the curious look the taller, half-Russian girl, "Don't spoil her cover-up now, Mori," she chided gently, though not without a mildly amused look.

Morissa rolled her eyes, "Oh, right, cuz it was such a good cover-up," she murmured sarcastically, though she didn't say it to either of their faces.

"..." Kiku watched the girls interact for just a little while longer, before deciding to leave.

It seemed that he wasn't needed here after all...

"...hoho~ So you just cut your first day of class?" the blue-eyed blond smirked slightly, though he didn't look over at the sulking Brit nearby.

Contrary to popular belief, the two didn't fight every single time they met -just sometimes.

"Hmph, what do you care?" the green-eyed one grumbled, " 's not like Iwanted to be here anyways," he muttered.

"Hm," Francis made a noncommittal noise, as he read over what he'd already written again, the special feather/quill-pen he typically used for writing just tickling the edge of his lip, before he scratched out another word and replaced it.

"It's only been a few days, oui? Think of it as more training," he said absently, as he went over the rest of it.

"..." For a moment, it was quiet in the house, aside from the mild drone of air conditioning and the scratch of the Frenchman's pen, though he put the pen down when the other began to talk again.

He wasn't that dense, after all. And as much as the two disliked each other, there was a mutual respect hidden under the acidic remarks as well...

Somewhere.

"I only ever seem to say rude things to her," the Brit said at last as the other blond glanced over.

Her...? "Jeune Jay?" he blinked, " 'hoho~ So you were in your 'usual good mood' today?" he couldn't help but smirk. "Ah well, perhaps you should just consider not yelling at her in the first place, oui? Especially if you're going to be beating yourself up about it afterward, Angleterre," he chided, "It is just a thought, bien sur."

"...I just can't seem to help it," the younger blonde grumbled, "I suppose I'm just not meant for interacting with other people..."

"..." For once, Francis wore a serious, contemplative look. He could tease the other, or he could be serious.

He decided to go for serious, this time.

"People aren't born as social butterflies, Angleterre. True, it comes easier to some people -such as moi," he couldn't help but add, though he continued before the other could get his seething remark in, if the dull 'thud' was anything to go by. "But most people, like you, just need to work at it. Some more than others," he continued.

"You're just inexperienced, Bretagne. As an example, you could say that, as a martial artist, you have the strength to break une table with just your fist. But you also have the self-control to stop it before it hits the table.

"You weren't born with that control, Angelterre -you had to refine it. Well, that's just the result of fighting bears in the mountains, oui~?"

Arthur twitched -and just when he'd thought the man was going to be serious, he thought, grumbling.

"I didn't fight bears..." he mumbled, though he did understand where the other was going... a little.

The other just sighed. "You are missing my point, vous réalisez . It's the same as interacting with people, Angleterre.

"Just, instead of training in the mountains, it had to be in a town, wherepeople live, comprendre? Associating with people, hurting them, and getting hurt in return. It's how you learn about others -and about yourself. If you don't, you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself, pige?

"You may be un tapis noir in fighting, but you are but a bande blanche in dealing with other people. So, at least for the sake of the woman who will (if possible) one day tell you she loves you, try not to keep running away, oui?"

"Pft- that is so sappy! as if someone would ever tell me that," he mumbled.

"Fu~ And if someone does, what would you do?" the Frenchman chided gently.

"...can't even imagine," the other mumbled in response, "But... I supposeI'd ask her if she were sane."

"Fufu... Oh really, now?" the blonde chuckled.

"I'm home..." the soft voice startled both males, though, luckily for both their prides, the onyx-haired male couldn't see any of the briton except for the tuft of hair near a corner of the desk. And, if he noticed it, he didn't say anything.

"..." Sweating slightly, Arthur started to discreetly make his way out of the room, while Francis distracted him.

No one needed to know about their little secret, after all!

"Welcome back, jeune Kiku~" he could hear the prat greeting the other, "Where is jeune Jay?"

"Work," the other answered, the word accompanied by a light 'thud'. "She informed me that dinner's already been prepared, and we just need to heat it up."

"Is that so~? Well, I head that she gets off around elven, so I believe I shall walk our chere demoiselle home, next time~"

"Hn. A good idea, I suppose, what with all the perverts creeping around at night..."

It was clear who the jibe was aimed at, and was reacted to accordingly.

"Jeune Kiku!" the exclamation was accompanied by the muffled sound of a small crash, "I'm hurt! Do you really think so little of me, mon cher?"

The single "Yes," was accompanied by the sound of the sliding door being shut, and a certain Frenchman scrambling after said male.

"What?(!) Kiku! Kiku~?(!) You don't really think so badly of moi, oui? Oui?(!)"

Arthur would've chuckled, were he not still trying to get out of the house without being noticed.

Whew! Jay thought, walking down the path to the house, What a long day! I wonder if everyone's asleep...?

As she continued up the worn path, she couldn't help but to worry about the other occupants of the house -or rather, one in particular...

I would if Arthur skipped dinner again? Is he still mad? He hadn't left the house, has he?(!)

"I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO SEE YOU!" the words rang through her head, as she continued to worry. What should I do?(!) she wondered, clutching her bag closer to her body.

"You should just be yourself, Jay~!" the words resounded in her head, clearing away her worries with a bout of determination.

"Okay... I'll do my best, mom!" she promised quietly. I won't let it get to me-!

Just as she thought that, though, a rustling sound caught her attention.

Wh-What... was that?(!) she wondered, paling a bit, when she remembered that she was alone, in the dark, and at night...

The perfect situation for a creeper to take advantage of...

Oh no...! C-Could it be...? The creepers that they warned me about...? O-Or a...

Pervert?(!)

"WAH-! NOOO!" she screamed, swinging her bag at the unseen menace.

"Ah..." she sniffed, when she heard a familiar voice yelp in pain.

Oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd-! How can I explain that I mistook him for a pervert?(!_ I just screamed 'NOOO!' at him, and...!

Needless to say, Jay was panicking, though perhaps not quite as worriedly as Arthur was at the moment...

'NOOO!'?(!) Oh gods, she really hates me now, doesn't she?(!) Was it something I said?(!) No, wait, that's stupid, it's obviously something I said -or did...

ARGH-!(!) What should I do?(!)

"I-I'm so sorry! I just hit you with my bag -oh, but... I guess you already know that," she babbled sheepishly, "B-but enough about me! W-Were you taking a walk... or something?" she started.

"S-So, uhm... How did you... like school?" she said at last, when the silence had stretched for far too long. Arthur had turned away from her, too, so she couldn't see him properly.

"Stop it..." he mumbled at last, "If... it makes you that nervous to talk to me, you don't have to..."

"Uhm, Arthur...?" she blinked.

"What is it?" the Briton turned to face her.

"Uhm, n-no, that's not... uhm... I... wasn't really nervous... I mean, I wasbut, uhm... that's only really because I accidentally hit you with my bag, and... well, okay, so I actually was trying to hit you -I mean, not you, but... Uhm... well, I thought...!" she started, babbling incoherently now.

Arthur opened his mouth to yell, but then sighed, "Just spit it out, already!" he managed not to yell, though he still sounded irritated.

"Oh! Uhm, I'm sorry! I just thought you were a pervert!" she finally managed to get out.

"A... pervert...?" he paled -did she really think so little of him? I mean, sure, Francis he would understand, but him...?

"Ahk-! N-no! I mean, that came out wrong... Uhm...!" she started, only to be interrupted.

"N-No, it's... it's alright," he managed, though he was still a little shocked at the 'pervert' statement. "I... just came to say I was sorry for yelling at you, before -I didn't really mean it... The whole 'I can't stand to look at you' thing... And, if I do something to anger you...

"You're... free to hit me," he said, not looking at her, though it was obvious that he was talking to her. (After all, there wasn't another soul for quite a distance from where they were.)

"Oh...!" Was he... trying to apologize...? That was why... And back then, too! Was he trying to apologize for yelling that time, too...? "But... I-I could never be mad at you!" she exclaimed, surprising the other out of his mild stupor. "I love you! I always wanted to be British!" she exclaimed, though it didn't really make complete sense in the Briton's mind.

"Wha-?(!)"

"I-It's true! I wanted to be British! I mean, uhm... I... You... Can we be friends?(!)" she exclaimed.

"And if someone does, what will you do...?"

"Th-That's stu- I-It's not that great..." he mumbled, "Being a Nation," he said, "Let's just get back, shall we?"

"..." Somehow... Jay thought, unable to help the smile that spread across her face as she hurried to catch up with the quickly advancing blond, I think I've started to understand him a little more. He's... a little more awkward that most people, but, deep down...

He really is a nice person! Someone who speaks sincerely -from the heart...

A really, really good person...!

"Fufu~ So, Angleterre, I hear you walked our dear jeune Jay home~" the Frenchman smirked, as they sat at the dinner table, "How was yourdate~?" he jibed.

"Wha- SHUT UP! IT WASN'T LIKE THAT, YOU GIT!"

"Heehee~ I'm just glad you're eating with us, today~" Jay smiled, surprising the Brit. Having not really expected them to wait up, she had decided to make typical Japanese food (ie lightly seasoned grilled fish, miso soup, a few side dishes, and, of course, rice!), "Do you like it?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, it's..." Arthur started, though he stopped, when he noticed Francis' smug stare. "WHAT?(!)" he snapped.

"Fufu~ Nothing, dear Angleterre. Nothing at all~" he smirked.

"WILL YOU QUIT STARING AT ME, ALREADY?(!)"

Off to the side, Kiku ignored the ongoing argument, as he continued to eat.

"Hohoh~ I was only looking, Bretagne, you're so sensitive~"

"ARGH-! JUST SHUT UP AND CUT IT OUT, BLOODY FROG!" he snapped, as he stuffed a little more food into his mouth.

"Uhm, so... do you not like it, Arthur...?" Jay asked innocently.

"NO! IT SUCKS!" he yelled.

"Ah..." he blinked, "N-No! I didn't mean that! I mean, I just timed it wrong!" he exclaimed, as Francis laughed his ass of in the background. "I really do like it!" he assured the girl, before turning to snarl at the cause of his misfortune (and the constant misunderstandings).

"DAMNIT FRANCIS!(!)!"

"...So loud..." Kiku sighed, as he finished his soup. The house had gotten much louder, since Arthur had returned, not that he really minded it.

It was just a little irritating at times was all.

Off to the side, Jay laughed, as she watched Francis and Arthur 'interact' as they normally did.

Things were looking up, already. She had a place to stay, and so many new friends, now that she was living at the Bonnefoy House...

She just couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring-! she thought, as she smiled at the boys' silly antics from next to Kiku, who just sighed again, this time taking a sip of his tea.

Yup, she had a feeling that things would only be getting more exciting from here on out~~!

A/N: Hmn... a bit short this time around... only 8,022 words...

Oh well, I think we'll be making more than a little up for it with the Omake I'm putting out. As well all know (probably) there was an Earthquake a while ago in Japan that moved that affected all of us! So, I shall be posting this chapter's Omake with a dedication to Nihon-kun, for his recent hardships...

*moment of silence*

I do hope he'll be able to get back on his feet completely, and that he'll get a lot better soon, and go back to being the Japan that we all know and love!

In other news, it seems that Russia'd been taking over China, around the same time that the Earthquake happened. (It snowed! Though some people might not get it =P So, feel free to ignore it, though you might understand better come the end of the Omake. Lol.)

Also, Review Replies! I plan on making a Review Corner from now on for all the Reviewers I can't answer personally.

Of course, thanks to everyone that reviewed! I'll put up the responses right before the Omake, for everyone! There are some important questions that will be answered, too, so... =P Yeah.

Also, if anyone noticed (I'm not sure that I talked about this last time), but Kiku called our currently as of yet still nameless 'Akito', "kami-sama". Well, as most of you know, that means 'God'. I decided it would be best if the countries called him by their own 'names', so that's why I used 'kami-sama'.

Also, the reason why, despite the fact that England keeps beating Francis up, England doesn't really go through with the 'break your neck' thing, is because the Nations can't kill each other. Yes, they can die, but they can't be killed by any of the other 'cursed' ones. Just thought I'd make that clear~ =3

And, without further ado~

The Review Corner!:

To Star Anise: Thanks for the review, Anise-san! I've very glad you like it! It's rare that I get such thorough reviews like I did from you, so, thank you!

As for France's ability to 'sense' the slide, he can't. Well, technically he couldn't, so he didn't actually sense the landslide. You see, seeing that his National Animal is the Gallic Rooster, he can sense and communicate with Rooster (and Chickens in general) as a whole. But, if they're GallicRoosters in particular, he can, uhm... what's the word Oh, yes! He basically has a sort of 'empathy link' with them, and, seeing as it was their property, and it's an easy way for them to not only know what's happening on the land, but to feel a little more 'at home' despite being stuck in America (two guesses as to why! XD As well as who would have the ability to force them to do that, though, seeing how intuitive you are, I'll bet you don't even need that many!).

And since Kiku's animal is the Crane (Red-Crowned in particular), his 'animal' wouldn't know, seeing as they're water fowl and prefer to stay by the lake/river-sides, unlike Francis' Roosters, who like to stick a lot closer inland. So, since they're water fowl, they'd only feel a slight disturbance, at most, but wouldn't really know what it was. The roosterson the other hand, live inland, and I'd be willing to bet that enough were somewhere close enough to see and feel what was happening. That's why Francis knew!

I hope that answers whatever questions you have for now, but, if you still have questions, please feel free to ask, and I'll try to clarify to the best of my ability! And I hope that you'll continue to enjoy my Fic! ^w^

(P.S.: I'm glad you think the National Animal thing is interesting~ A few of the animals were kind of hard to figure out. After all, as you said, some overlap, but some do have multiple Animals as well, so... I hope I can do a good job! ^^)

To Tatertwig45: Thank you for your review! And I think you'll be glad to know that yes, I am planning to continue and finish this Fanfiction! =3 I do have plans from my 'Hatsuharu', but Akito will definitely be an OC -hope you don't mind, but I have the entire fanfiction planned out, as well as an iffy, but possible sequel, though I doubt I'll ever end up doing it. The idea's still WAY too unpolished for me to even think of starting one~ D=

As for Hatsuharu, I'm afraid I can't spoil that~ Though you may find a hint in the on-coming Omake~ *winks*

And, To bloodybeth: Well, I hope you know that I (think) I fixed it all~ =P If you do see anymore though, please tell me so I can fix it~ :hearts:

To everyone else (who reviewed): Midna3452, and AccessBlade.

Thanks for reading my fanfiction and taking the time to review! ^w^ I love getting reviews, and just from the five I got this chapter, I was spurred to work on this, though, unfortunately, I had already promised to work only on another story until I had finished revising it. D=

I'm sure you're all glad to know that I did finish, though I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't get this up before Spring Break ended... (For me, at least) So, there we are, and please feel free to ask any questions! I'll definitely answer them if I can! =3

Oh, and on one last note: Please vote on the poll on my Profile! It's Woruba-related, I promise! =D So you won't be wasting your time!

That's it, and please enjoy the Omake~! XD

Amazingly, it's even longer than the chapter! *legasp!* (8,330 Words~! XD) It actually would've been longer, but I decided enough was enough. =P Hope you all like this one~ And again, please forgive for the short chapter~~ :hearts:

For this story, I was aiming for 10,000 words per chapter, but I'm afraid I've fallen a little below the mark... *pouts* But, it can't be helped! So, in return, a super-long Omake~! *cheers* And FOUR Hetalia! character intro's~ Whoot!

I think you'll all be highly amused by this~ I'm thinking of having this as just part of the future of the storyline, but that's still debatable -if I doend up making it happen, though, ya'll know~ =P And I promise I'll try to do another uber-long Omake something if the chapter that I decide to use this Omake as/for (if I do decide to) is as long and entertaining as I can!

Lol! In anycase, I'll stop bothering you now and let ya read~ *grins*

But, as always, please REVIEW people! =3 Reviews inspire me to type faster! XP (I'd also really like to know what ya'll think of the Chapter and Omake, but... *shrugs* A girl can't have everything, can she~? D=)

So, without further a-do~ The (currently title-less) Omake...!

OMAKE! Corner:

"...Are you sure you'll be able to?" Jay persisted in asking her fellow classmate.

Kikus sighed, "Yes, Bennett-san, I'm sure I can take care of myself," he managed to get the entire sentence out before going into a fit of coughs.

"But-"

"I'm sure," he assured her as soon as the fit was over, though his voice had become just a little raspy due to the fit. But, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a good throat-clearing, of course!

Jay frowned, but nodded, "Well... Okay then... Call if you need anything, okay?" she made him promise, "I'll leave one of the house phones by your table."

Kiku just nodded, "Thank you."

She hesitated for another half second.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked once more.

Stifling a long-suffered sigh, Kiku replied once more, "For the last time, Bennett-san, yes. You're only going shopping -I believe I can take care of myself for a few hours," he said, trying to be gentle, but knowing that his irritation was showing through nonetheless -he always was a bit more irritable when he got sick...

Besides, it wasn't that seriou- okay, so maybe it was.

He had been sick for the past several days now -and he'd been stuck in bed for at least two thirds the time of those days (after all, he couldn't just stay in his bed all day, could he?). He'd actually fainted and stayed unconscious for the first few days, though, so he supposed it wasn't so bad, though there would be a boatload of work to catch up to when he got well enough to go back to school...

He knew the reason why he'd fallen ill, of course, but it wasn't very comforting in the least.

Especially when the fact of the matter was because, as a Cursed Nation, he felt anything that happened to the land itself -and Japan had, quite recently, gone through an Earthquake that had been so severe as to affect the rest of the world, as well.

Time now moved an hour or so faster than it previously had.

But of course, that wasn't the worst part -the worst part was the fact that, as with all natural disasters, people died. And he knew that his Nation's economy wouldn't be able to pick itself back up and run sufficiently for quite a while.

Chaos always followed this sort of disasters -take Katrina in Florida, for example. People had revealed their 'darker' sides, pilfering and pillaging from others in the time of crisis...

He honestly didn't know how a 'nitwit' (as England liked to call him -or, more commonly a 'git') like America had managed to stay so chipper -though Kiku supposed that, being a super-nation had helped...

But, back to the present, if Jay, as she liked to be called, continued to worry and fret as she did, he doubted that she'd be able to get the grocery shopping done.

Well, it was the weekend, at least, though it was also quite regrettable due to that same fact.

"Well... If you're sure..." Jay seemed to hesitate one last time.

"Bennett-san, do I really need to repeat myself?" he asked quietly, raising a single brow in askance. "I'll probably be taking a nap once you leave and may not even be awake when you get back," he reasoned, "So yes, please just go so that Arthur and Francis-san don't complain about the fact that there will be no dinner tonight because you were too worried about me to even step out of house."

He knew he was guilt-tripping her, but he was really starting to get exasperated with the (at times) air-headed woman. It was nice that she was so genuinely worried about him, but he had no doubts that she would be more of a hindrance than a help in this case -especially since (most of) what he'd said was true anyways.

He doubted that a loud house would allow him to recuperate any quicker -which was possibly the reason why both males had deemed to stay out as much as they could lately Each to avoid the other in order to let the 'Personification' of the Japanese Nation to rest and recuperate as fast as he could. ('Personification' being the nicer way of wording the 'curse'.)

"..." Jay gave him a worried look but desisted at last, "Alright," she said, nodding to the ill teen, "I'll come back as soon as I can, ok?" she promised, "So please get some rest, Kiku!"

Kiku smiled, well, he supposed that her 'naivete' could be a bit charming as well, at times...

"I will," he promised, shifting back into his bed sheets, "And please, feel free to take your time -it wouldn't do for you to have to make more than one trip because you were rushing, now would it?"

Jay chuckled in response, "No, of course not!" she smiled, vacating the chair beside his bed, "Alright, I'll do my best to get it all done at once then," she told the other, "Sleep well, Kiku!" she told the other as she left the room, sliding the other's door shut (it was one of two bedrooms that had sliding doors rather than regular doors -one of which being a guest room with the other (quite obviously) being Kiku's room).

Kiku chuckled, "Thank you, Bennett-san," I'll try, he thought, snuggling back into his sheets with a sigh.

To be quite honest, he really wasn't that tired, but...

Well, he supposed that a short nap would be nice.

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

An hour or so later, found Juliana still at the grocery store. She had long since found the essentials, but was now looking at a few 'extras' that she was contemplating on getting.

On her way to the store, she had had to walk through one of the parks, and had actually found someone sitting rather precariously on a bench, fast asleep! She had found it adorable that several stray cats had seemed to have found their way to the brunette, but seeing how the man was in danger of falling off the bench, and being the kind of person that she was, Jay had gone over and gently woken the man up.

"Ngh... Five more minutes.." The tan male had murmured, leaning even closer to the end of the seat, and alarming the poor girl.

"Uhm, please wake up!" she had called, "You're going to fall off...!"

It had taken a while, but she had finally gotten the strange teen to wake up, revealing clear, almost teal green eyes.

"Huh? What time's it...?" the man had mumbled, covering a yawn as he'd stretched, before looking at a watch on his right arm, "Oh... Must've fallen asleep again... Thanks, uhm... What's your name...?" The boy's quiet tone had reminded her remarkably of a much more laid back Kiku, but she had shaken it out of her thoughts.

"Oh, my name's Juliana Bennett -but you can call me Jay!" she had smiled, chuckling when the kitten that had somehow managed to climb into his head fell into his lap with a startled mewl, surprising the other.

"Whoops-! Gotcha!" the other had mumbled, somehow managing the catch the kit before turning his attention back to her, "Anyways, thanks for waking me up, Jay, it's very nice to meet you," he had spoken to her quite politely, and with a very sincere tone (if not a little apathetic, though she was quite used to that from Rei, and, thanks to the elder girl had gotten quite used to reading people).

"No problem! Uhm, if you don't mind my asking... How did you fall asleep on the bench?" she had asked, looking quite curious as she tilted her head quizzically.

"Uhm... Dunno, really... I just remember wandering for a while and getting lost, then deciding to take a break...

"After that, I remember thinking about how nice the breeze was, and... I guess I just fell asleep," he'd mumbled sheepishly.

Jay had just giggled in response, "Oh! I see, well, I hope you find the place you're looking for!" she had said, as the other got up, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, I should probably be going... Thank again -and maybe we'll see each other again sometimes soon...?" he had said with a warm smile, that had elicited one of her own.

"Of course!" she had replied cheerfully, before they had parted ways -she had barely gone a few steps before remembering that she had also been wondering about why the cats had been gathering around the male, but, when she had turned back the other had just disappeared somewhere.

What an odd man...

{Truth be told, he had actually just gotten tired again, and decided to take another nap -this time under a nice, shady tree (thus taking himself out of her sight).}

As she finished her shopping, though, she ended up bumping into someone at the check-out lines.

"Oof-!" she stepped back, started at the suddenty of getting a face full of cloth.

"Oh! Sorry, I wasn't looking/watching where I was going," both of them apologized, surprising both of them, before they got a good look at each other.

Looking up, she found herself facing a rather oddly dressed man that was a bit darker than the boy whom she'd met at the park, but still light enough to be considered 'tan' (or maybe 'bronze'...?). The man was also, strangely, wearing what looked to be some kind of turban, with some of the plain white cloth falling to either side of his face like little curtains, as well as a little red hat that reminded her of the Disney Aladdin movies. {Yes, I went there! XD}

He was wearing a rather long, knee length jacket (and he was tall, so that was saying something) and what looked like some kind of trousers that were tucked into a pair of what looked like galoshes. She almost had to take another step back just to see the other's face clearly, not that it would've mattered, though, what with the plain white mask that covered his eyes. (He was also at least a foot taller than her, making her feel like a dwarf, in comparison.)

On the other hand, the man was blinking behind his mask, relieved that it had only been a light 'bump' and that no skin had touched (Yes, he's paranoid), though he was more surprised at the girl's politeness, and the fact that they had spoken practically the same thing at the same time.

He had found, in his twenty-some year lifetime that most teenagers tended to be much ruder, typically giving the other party the blame for the most part, or not really meaning what they said at all (the girl in front of him looked quite warm and sincere in comparison).

Well, aside from the one or two (okay, only one) teenage exception that he knew -and the only one(s) that he really liked as well.

"My apologies, miss, please, go ahead," he said, smiling slightly, as he motioned for the girl to go in front of him. After living in America for so long, his accent, quite sad to say, had almost all but diminished -he had managed to keep most of it, though, enough for his speech to be considered to have a 'thick' accent to it to it despite having lived here for years. As far as 'immigrants' went, though, he fared much better in everyday life, if one ignored the fact that people tended to give him odd looks or stares for his attire.

"Eh? Oh, no! I couldn't possibly!" she blinked, the honest-to-goodness surprised expression on her face only confirming his original conception of her -she was an honest girl. Something that was rare in this day and age -especially in this country... {Not saying that all American Females are liars, of course. Everyone lies at least once in their life, so... No offense peoples -I'm American as well. =P I just figured it'd be his idea of 'typical' these days, lol. (It's all for the plot, I swear! Pleasedon'tkillme-!)}

The other man just chuckled, "It's quite alright, miss, I don't have nearly as many groceries as you do," he pointed out, comparing her full basket to his own, which only had a few things in it.

Juliana blushed, "Oh. W-Well... If you insist... But, please, call me Jay! It feels awkward when people call me 'Miss'," she admitted.

The other man just chuckled, "Very well then, Jay. You may call me Sadik," he informed her.

She smiled and nodded, "Okay then, Mr. Sadik!"

"Just Sadik, please," he told her sheepishly, "The 'Mister' makes me feel old."

"Right then... Sadik!" she smiled back, feeling very chagrined by the fact.

"Oh, uhm. And, if you don't mind me asking... Since you only have a few items... Why didn't you go to one of the shorter lines?" she asked, pointing to the some of the shortest lines in the aisle. All of which had a sign overhead saying 'Ten Items or Less ONLY'.

Sadik blinked, "Oh..." he grinned sheepishly, "I didn't think of that," he admitted, "I suppose I'm just used to buying a lot at once," he told her, "I forgot..."

Jay giggled, "It's alright, I, myself, almost went into that line!" she admitted with a smile of her own, "I used to only have to buy for two people -but now that I'm living with my... friends... I'm in charge of cooking and cleaning, so..."

Sadik just smiled, "I see, well, I suppose I should go then- I don't want to cold items to melt," he explained, "Perhaps we will meet again," he told her by way of 'goodbye'.

Jay just nodded, "Yeah! That'd be great -I guess I'll see you around then~!" she waved as she moved a little closer to the conveyer.

Sadik nodded back, "Farewell, my friend." And with that, he was gone, heading for the shorter lines...

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

Meanwhile, back at the Bonnefoy House, Kiku found that he couldn't sleep so well after all. Not just because of the stifling heat from being under the thick blankets despite it being quite warm and sunny outside, but due to the even more stifling silence.

I suppose I've gotten used to the loudness, he thought sheepishly, smiling a bit at the thought.

How odd, before he had moved in, he would've given anything for things to be quiet (which was, actually, one of the reasons why he had moved in with Francis) -now, though...

Now, he was kind of starting to miss the everyday loudness that the rest of the household had brought into his quiet life...

Perhaps he was becoming too used to living with the rambunctiousness, what with the warmth that he was greeted with everyday -not that he hadn't been greeted when he had lived in the Main Estates, but...

Most of the greeting had been a bit colder (or a lot colder, depending) if he were even greeted at all. Not to mention that there were some scarypeople in the 'Family'! True, he had not always lived at the Estates, but he had rarely lived with more than one person before then.

Now though, he found that he was truly becoming accustomed to living like this, with Francis, Arthur, and Jay...

"你好 ~! 有人在吗 ?" called an exceedingly familiar voice that made the sick boy shiver. {Pronunciation: NǐHǎo~! YǒuRénZàiMa? Translation: Hello~! Is anyone home~?}

Oh no... he thought, starting to pale, It couldn't be! Not him! he thought, groaning mentally, as the soft pattering of quick, light made their way up the stairs, stopping just long enough for his door to be practically slammed open.

"Aiya~ There you are, aru!" The slender, Chinese, feminine-looking male beamed as he entered the room, holding a covered tray in one hand, while the other was still on the door.

Yup, it was him, the young Japanese sighed mentally, leaning back against the pillows that had been fluffed up for him in defeat.

It was his brother of all people...

"Hello, brother," he said, smiling weakly in the face of, perhaps, (one of) his greatest 'foe(s)' of all time...

And overly protective (not to mention mother-hen like) elder sibling.

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

Back at the supermarket, Juliana finally finished making her purchases (how she managed to carry all six bags of groceries would be a question for another day, as well as the fact that she was carrying such a full basket in the store...).

As she smiled to herself, humming as she walked down the path, she caught two familiar voices being raised in what sounded like an argument. And, since it was along her route anyways, she decided to check it out, curious as it was.

Turning at the next corner she blinked, "Ah..."

It was the two she had met earlier today! The brunette and the odd (but nice) man she now knew was named Sadik.

Of course, being the naive and clutzy person that she was, her exclamation drew the attention of both males, despite their argument being louder than her own voice.

"Oh, you're-" "Aren't you-" both started.

"-Jay/that girl I met earlier?" they said as once, before blinking and exchanging a confused look.

"Huh?" "You've met her?" they started speaking at the same time again

Unable to help herself at the evident humor of the situation, she giggled, "Hello!" she said, feeling the smile tugging at her lips.

"Sadik and... uhm... well, I never caught your name, did I?" she thought, tilting her head slightly at the younger brunette

"Ah... I'm... Heracles," he nodded, "Heracles Karpusi -Jay, right?" he asked, ignoring the other man in favor of conversing with her.

Sadik had smiled when she recalled his name correctly, but shot a suspicious glare at the younger male, "Of course," he snorted, "Youwould be rude enough not to have introduced yourself the first time," he remarked scathingly, as he rolled his eyes from behind his mask.

"Wha- I was sleepy, okay!" Heracles frowned at the taller male, before turning back to Jay with a smile, "It is nice to meet you though -even with that guy hanging around," he shot his own glare at the other man.

"Oh please, don't tell me you forget all etiquette just because you're 'tired'," he snapped, glaring back just as suspiciously as the other did.

Oh boy... Jay thought, sweating, as she was very suddenly reminded of a certain duo that lived at the Bonnefoy House. Why do I have a feeling that they're going to keep arguing unless I do something...? she wondered.

And why do I get the feeling that this happens every time they meet...?

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

By the time that she had finished explaining how she'd met each of them to the other, both had calmed down sufficiently enough to be 'civil' towards each other at the very least.

When she had finished, both had nodded -grudging, yes, but- acceptingly of the stories. After all, even if they couldn't trust each other, they knew that Jay, at the very least, was honest.

Or, that was how they felt anyways.

Once that was over, though, noticing her heavy bags, the other two offered to help carry them. Of course, she had refused the offers at first, but both were so insistent...

She ended up giving in to their demands -of course, she made sure both had an even amount of bags, in order to keep them from fighting again (they were now carrying two bags each)- though when she told them where she was headed, the two actually exchanged non-scathing, surprised looks.

At their looks, Jay ended up becoming confused, and had asked why they looked so surprised, when it was revealed that they had been going to the same place as well!

Imagine her surprise, when Jay found out that the two she had met today both knew Kiku! Especially when they admitted (under careful question) that they were part of the same 'family' as well.

Needless to say, Juliana Bennett had been one more than ecstatic girl. Especially when she realized that they would be having guests over as well!

By now, though, they had reached the house, and she had just been about to open the door, when she paused.

Was it just her or was there a scream coming from the house...?(!) she started, as all three exchanged looks, and she reached for the door.

Of course, she never had the chance to open it, as the door was slammed open, and a beautiful looking man (for it could only be a man, despite how slender and feminine looking he was) ran right into her screaming blood murder!

"Eek-!" she started, as she was hit was a force strong enough to push her back.

"Jay-!" both of her companions started forward -and, was it just her, or did this reek of deja-vu?

Poof! A large cloud of smoke appeared as Jay shut her eyes, feeling something (or things) soft beneath her.

"Eh...?" She blinked, ignoring the dizzy and confused looking man in front of her, to look behind her and came face to face with...

A large grey wolf and a... dolphin?(!)

"Oops..." a voice that could only have been Heracles startled her out of her shock, and she found herself turning back to the Dolphin.

" 'Oops'? What do you mean 'Oops'?(!)" Sadik snapped, "I think this warrants more than just an 'Oops', you idiot!" the Wolf snarled.

"Well, what else can I say? 'Oh, so sorry, Jay, but you're hallucinating, please turn away for a while, and forget all about this'?" the Dolphin chirped back, amazingly unaffected by the fact that it was on land, and out of the water. Although, perhaps that had something to do with the fact that it was a mammal...

"Uhm..." she started, before the others could start yet another argument (she was pretty sure they had gone through at least four on the way home) and calling their attention to herself.

"I-It's okay, guys... I know about the 'secret'," she admitted. She had asked if they were 'from the same family' before, but apparently she wasn't so good at being discreet as she'd though.

They'd actually taken her seriously...

"..." Both seemed to be staring at her in shock for several (quite awkward, in her mind) minutes, before another 'poof' of smoke caused her to 'Eep!' and turn around hastily even as she covered her eyes.

Behind her, two tanned, naked men exchanged a (still) surprised look, before they snapped out of their shock, and hurriedly rushed to pull their clothes on.

In Heracles' case, his undergarments (socks and briefs), a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket.

Just as they were about to question her, though, a large, imposing figure appeared in the doorway, causing both men to freeze.

What in all hells was he doing here...?(!) the two shrieked mentally, as the violet-eyed male blinked, and smiled at them (or rather, at the unconscious body on the floor).

"Oh, there he is!" he blinked, smiling pleasantly, "You shouldn't play tag with Ivan, da? Yao~" he told the unconscious body, as he leaned down to pick the poor man up. {the 'da' is so typical of him, that I think I'm just going to leave it in english format. =P I don't think I'd have the patience to copy/paste the correct Russian every single time... although, that may just be for this omake. We'll see~}

He blinked, though, when he realized that the man was wearing something different again, as he hefted the small man onto his shoulder, before noticing the others. "Oh, hello, friends~" he said, as a chill ran down the other's spines despite the 'reassuring' smile on the man's face.

"I'll be going now, da? Kiku fell asleep already," he informed them, "Don't worry, I'll take Yao home today~" he said with a smile, before walking away.

Jay continued to stare after the tall, beige-blond/sandy haired male wearing the scarf and jacket in the middle of a heat spell, before shaking her head slightly, and picking her (thankfully unharmed) groceries off the ground, and turning back to the silent duo behind her.

"Uhm... Come in, I guess -I'll put the groceries away and make some tea... unless you'd prefer something else?" she the two, who just absently shook their heads in response.

Huh, she wondered why they were so quiet all of a sudden, before shaking it off. Eh, oh well -at least they wouldn't be fighting for a while now~ she thought, as she took all the groceries into the kitchen...

Upstairs, Kiku was still passed out after having fainted in the face of the scariest 'Nation' any of them would (probably) ever know...

No one had noticed the fact that Francis and Arthur were still missing... (Or the fact that the 'tall man' had just kidnapped someone... Honestly, people nowadays.)

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

Earlier that day...

"Hello, brother," Kiku had greeted the effeminately slender male, hiding the relief that no one else was around to see his 'doting brother' (Juliana in particular), even as he swallowed the horror that his brother was even there.

It wasn't that he didn't love his brother -or appreciate him. He did, really he did! It was just that...

Well, his brother tended to go overboard sometimes. A lot overboard.

Such as the time he had tripped at the park as a child...

"Wah-!" a seven year old Kiku cried out, as he tripped.

"Aiya! Kiku, are you alright?(!)" Yao had exclaimed, running over, and proceeding to baby him even when he had told the other it was nothing, and that he did not need to go to the damn hospital when he had barely even nicked the skin.

Or that time when he had graduated from Elementary School...

Yao sniffled, before practically sobbing out loud, much to an eleven year old Kiku's horror. He was bawling even louder than any of the moms at the minor formality!

Yes, he had gotten the highest grades and was the best liked student, butreally...?

Kiku shuddered at the memories.

Ugh, and those had just been two of at least a hundred times worth of 'minor' things (or so in his mind) -one of the reasons he had moved into the Estates in the first place.

Luckily, even since he had 'left' (at least, ever since the second time -the first time, when he'd first moved into the Estates Yao had gotten even worse, though he could kind of understand why, when he had finally met the Russian Nation of the 'family' -still, they barely even saw each other, let alone talked, so he honestly hadn't seen why the older male was such a worry for Yao, though now he knew that it had been because of the male's unhealthy obsession with his 'brother' (who he actually wasn't even related to by blood! They were two different nationalities, for pete's sake!)) the Estates and started living with Francis, the other had left him alone a little more.

Typically, they now tended to ignore each other, but every now and then (in a state of general 'emergency'), they would usually push aside their 'differences' and be civil to each other...

Well, at least in Kiku's case, he did. Yao, apparently, was still a major worry-wart.

"...and some porridge for you! Just in case you still can't handle solid foods~" the Chinese man had been talking for quite a while now, despite the fact that Kiku hadn't even been listening, though he had perked up at the words 'food' and 'porridge'.

The only really good things he remembered from living with Yao as a child, was that the food had been good (though the -elder- Asian nation had been a stickler for manners), even when he had been sick, the food had been good.

And for Yao to have taken so much care and to make him his favorites (as he noticed when the other had whipped off the cover, and the delicious aroma had assaulted his nostrils), Kiku supposed he could endure a few hours of his elder sibling's company...

Well, so long as he was gone before the other came back, anyways -Francis would be sure to embarrass him by tell thing others stories about his childhood years (or as far as the Frenchman knew, anyways -thank goodness he didn't know about the worst memories...).

He had no doubt that Arthur would laugh his arse off, and that Juliana would giggle or smile at the very least, no matter how nice she was...

He sighed, accepted the other ministrations with a defeated air, though he was careful to keep from the other 'Nation' as much as he could.

Even when he had finished his food, and thanked the other for the delicious meal, the elder of the two had just smiled, and thanked him for the compliment.

They managed to stay almost another hour in each other's company without any mishaps after that, thankfully.

Unfortunately, neither noticed when the front door creaked open, and a large figure managed to somehow (and quite surprisingly) slip in through the door silently, making his way up the stairs, just as Yao left to go clean the dishes.

So, to say that Yao was shocked, when he returned to find his younger brother passed out, and a very familiar figure standing over the boy, would've been quite an understatement.

He had been scared for his life -and, thinking that his poor little bother had been killed, he did the only thing he could do...

He screamed.

And, of course, the scream drew the attention of the large man who turned, revealing a long, metal pipe in one hand, as the other held a bottle of alcohol -vodka, in particular.

"Oh, hello, Yao. You will become one with Russia today, da-?" he started, though, before he could finish speaking, the smaller man had already run off.

"..." The large Russian just blinked, "Oh, he must want to play tag~" he giggled, slipping the bottle of vodka he'd just finished drinking (there was still a third left in the bottle) back into his pocket, smiling widely.

"It'd be no fun if I caught him do fast~ So I'll give him a head start," he said, nodding to himself sagely, as he somehow hid the pipe in his jacket.

"I'll count to twenty~" he grinned, before looking around, for a good place to stand, before shrugging and deciding to stay where he was.

"Odin~ Dva... Tri~ Chetrye..." he started...

{Again, don't feel like copying and pasting all the words from google -so I'm sorry if they're a little wrong, since I'm writing the... er.. Cyrillic? Or was it just phonetic...? *mumbles and shakes head* version of the Russian~ =P}

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

As Jay set down the tea, she chuckled a bit at the two's antics.

Despite their age differences they seemed to get along so well -and at least they didn't fight physically (yet) like Francis and Arthur tended to.

Unfortunately, both heard her laugh, and turned to her, wondering why she was laughing.

She just smiled, "You must get along very well, don't you~?" she asked.

The two males stared at her, before starting to argue again -this time,much louder.

They did not get along with each other...!

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

"..." Kiku blinked, yawning as he tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes -were Francis and Arthur back already...? he wondered, rubbing an eye sleepily, as he heard the arguing coming from downstairs...

Hn, he supposed he'd better get up and tell the two blockheads to knock it off -no doubt Arthur was say something stupid again, when Jay tried to stop them (again), and then Francis would knock Arthur a new one, and another fight would ensue...

Again.

He sighed, sliding his feet into his slippers, before walking out of the room...

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

BAM. To say that the trio was surprised was an understatement, as a bleary-eyed adolescent glared into the room.

"Please be quiet, some of us are trying to sleep, you know," the onyx-haired teen informed the group with exceedingly remarkable calm for one who was supposedly 'ticked off'.

"Oh... Kiku! You're awake!" Jay smiled at the brown-eyed Asian, who was staring back as the two surprised (and most definitely) not blond Nations before looking back to her with a little confusion, as she waved him over, patting the empty seat beside her.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked the confused male.

"...Yes, please, Bennett-san," he managed to get out as he blinked at the girl and shuffled over.

Jay just smiled again, giggling as she poured another cup of tea for the boy (and yes, they were using an actual tea set that she had managed to find and clean in the kitchen).

Giving her a mildly curious look (and now wide awake), he absently took a sip of the tea -and was instantly surprised.

It was good-! Very few people knew how to make good, traditional tea like this anymore...

Jay smiled, "Do you like it?" she asked.

Kiku nodded slowly as he put it down, before turning to face the other two. "What are you doing here?" he asked, unable to hide all of the surprise that colored his expression.

"We heard you were sick," started Heracles, as Sadik told him "We came to visit you." at the same time.

Both males glared at each other.

Kiku just gave them a blank look before sighing, "Please don't fight in the house -for one, this is Francis-san's home, and secondly, I'd rather not that you make a mess that Bennett-san will have to clean up," he warned them.

Both blinked, but subsided, nodding.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask -Why's Jay here anyways?" started Sadik as Heracles nodded.

"Yeah, and what do you mean she'll have to clean up?" he asked.

It seemed that, for once, at least, they both agreed on something. Or rather, didn't argue about thinking the same thing.

Just why was Jay staying at the Bonnefoy House...? After all, it wasn't like she was a Nation -as far as they could tell, anyways (what with the 'accident' just a little while ago (something that had been pushed -for the most part- into the recesses of their minds...)). And why was she stuck with doing the cooking and cleaning?(!)

Much to their surprise, Kiku wasn't the one to answer -but Juliana herself.

"Oh, that's because I live here now!" she said with a smile, "in return for doing the housework, of course~" she added after a moment's thought.

"...Huh?" "What-?" Both males stared at her (again).

As one would probably have to know, not many people outside the 'family' (in fact, none as far as they were aware) knew about the family's secret, let alone was allowed to live with them. As for the fact that she had been allowed to retain her memory as it was...

Well, just the fact that she 'remembered' was amazing unto itself.

"Uhm... Is something wrong?" Jay asked when the two exchanged a glance before continuing (in their own ways, of course) to gape at her, oblivious to the questions floating in the air as Kiku sighed.

"I don't know why," he started, catching the other occupants' attention, "but He gave us permission," he admitted, causing Heracles to nod slowly while Sadik just looked confused (or rather, as confused as one could be wearing the mask he was).

"But why would He give permission when he hasn't for so long?" he asked, looking just as baffled as he felt.

Kiku just shrugged, as Jay fell silent, sensing that something important was going on.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know -Francis-san was the one who talked to Him, not me," he explained.

The others nodded -well, that made sense...

"Oh-!" The exclamation started all three males, as Jay got up, "You're staying for dinner, right?" she asked, "In that case, I should probably start preparing the food!" she said, "I hope you don't mind waiting," she apologized.

Kiku just nodded, "I think the bath's still free since the others aren't back yet," he pointed out.

For the first time, Heracle's eyes showed a glint of excitement, "It's the big one, right?" he asked, a smile making its way onto his features at Kiku's nod, "In that case, I think a bath sounds great!" he grinned, getting up.

"Wha-? Hey! Who said you get first dibs? I'm calling it! DIBS!" Sadik called out rather (surprisingly) childishly, as he hurried after the other.

"No way, man! I got here first...!" The arguing got fainter as they continued down the hall -apparently familiar with the house.

"...? 'Big one'...?" Jay blinked, staring after the two in confusion.

Noticing her expression, Kiku decided to clarify. "The 'public' bath was remodeled a while ago," he told her, "It used to be a regular bathroom, but since had gotten destroyed in an... incident... Francis-san decided to go all out if it had to be rebuilt anyways and had it remodeled," he explained.

"Ooh~! So it wasn't always there?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Kiku shook his head, "No, most of the house was remodeled before I moved in with him, since he liked the 'open' and 'spacey' affect," he sighed.

Typical Francis.

Jay just nodded, seeming to understand, "Oh, I see! Well, I guess I'd better be off then," she said, "Would you like me to leave the tea?" she asked.

Kiku nodded, "Yes please," he told her, smiling a bit.

"Okay!" she beamed, "Oh-! And, since I'm making dinner anyways, is there anything in particular that you'd like?" she asked.

Kiku blinked. Something he liked...?

It had been a long time since anyone had asked his opinion in the matter, and he hesitated for a while.

"Well... I suppose... Nikujaga...?" he blinked, before wondering if maybe it would be a bit too much, "Oh, but if it's too much-" he started

Jay just grinned, "No way! I can totally make you some!" she informed him, "Mom used to ask for it sometimes~ So I know how to make it," she explained.

Kiku blinked, but smiled, "I see. In that case, thank you very much, Bennett-san," he told her. It had been so long since he'd had the Japanese version of the 'English' Beef Stew. {English as in British, not American}

Jay just smiled, "You just relax here and wait~ I'll have it ready in no-time!" she informed him, before walking out and heading for the kitchen.

It was a good thing she'd bought some meat today as well -especially since they had been having a special on fresh beef as well! What a lucky coincidence...!

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

By the time that Francis and Arthur had come back (bickering even as they set foot into the house), dinner preparations had been complete, and Heracles and Sadik had managed to finish their baths with not too much trouble (though at one point, their bickering could be heard from the kitchen, where Jay had heard them arguing over... Ahem! Their... 'lengths' -causing her (and Kiku) to blush beet red).

Needless to say, dinner had been a rather... interesting... affair...

(Especially when the two -currently- darker occupants of the house began fighting over who'd sleep where, as well as who'd brought the best gift. (Sadik had brought some snacks that Kiku liked as well as a Turkish specialty for dessert, while Heracles had somehow acquired some fish from seemingly nowhere -both canned and fresh) Needless to say, Kiku had thanked them both equally and set both gifts aside, to store/enjoy later. Though, Arthur apparently didn't really like the Nikujaga as it -apparently- 'butchered' his specialty, though he hadn't complained for too long, and had ended up finishing it anyways.)

After dinner, though, they all split up, and prepared for bed -several arguments happened over the course of the next... ten minutes or so, but other than that, things had gone rather smoothly (especially considering that nothing/no-one had been broken/injured/maimed in anyway).

Once their nightly 'rituals' were over, they had all went to bed -with Heracles and Sadik staying in Kiku's room, since he'd been the whole reason they'd come to visit anyways.

Everyone slept surprisingly well that night, and no arguments had broken out until the next morning, when the two guests found that they had somehow rolled quite close to each other during the night and had started arguing and insulting each other rather early in the morning (thankfully it had been the weekend, though).

All in all, they had had a fun time, though. And they had all promised to meet up again (though a few less willingly)...

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

It wasn't until after their guests that Jay had remembered something rather important...

"Ah-!" she blinked, calling the attention of the house's typical (and male) occupants to her. "I never asked what Nations they were..." she sighed rather disappointedly.

"Ah, well, that's quite easy to fix, ma chere fille~" Francis smiled, a rose appearing out of nowhere in his hand (once again). "Young Heracles isGrece, of course -Greece," he added, when he remembered that she didn't understand much more than the typical french any American knew.

"And Sadik-san is the Personification of Turkey," Kiku added, as Arthur continued to grumble at having had to wake up at seven in the morning -much too early for a weekend, apparently.

"Oh!" she smiled, "I see! That explains the Dolphin and the Wolf then~" she smiled, "I wasn't sure about it, but now I know~"

The others smiled, as Arthur just mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'who the bloody hell cares', though at least he had the common decency not to voice it aloud.

Francis just smiled, as Kiku nodded, as several countries had overlapping National Animals.

But, in the end, all's well that ended well. Kiku had managed to get back to normal quite soon, meaning that his own Nation would be sure to follow, but until that time, at least things had gone back to normal...

"YOU BLOODY BASTARD! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ARSE SO BAD YOU'LL BE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR MONTHS!"

...Yup, normal. Or, rather, as normal as things could get in the Bonnefoy House, Kiku thought with a sigh...

. X - x - X - x - X - x - X - x - X .

"Ah!" Jay blinked once she was back in the kitchen (preparing Lunch this time -she was making it early today, since she was planning on meeting up with Morissa and Rei later on in the day, and probably wouldn't be home then).

"I completely forgot about that person from before!" she murmured, the knife pausing as she thought back to the effeminate man that had run right into her, and the larger beige-blond male that had come out soon after.

"Eh, oh well, I'm sure it wasn't too important~" she thought, as she continued to slice some vegetables -partly for a healthy snack, and partly for the lunch she was planning to make... (Egg Salad Sandwiches)

...Elsewhere, a certain Chinese man sneezed, before freezing in his attempt to escape the house of the madman who had been stalking him for quite a while now (not that he knew how or why -he still hadn't realized that the 'Panda' he so loved was in reality the large Russian in disguise).

"..." He turned his head slowly as he felt an icy aura behind him.

"You were not trying to leave while I was sleeping, were you Yao?" the thick Russian accent was showing through as the other laughed his customary -yet extremely creepy- 'Kolkolkol' laugh.

"Ahahah... N-No, aru! Of-of course not!" the man was sweating bullets as he laughed (quite nervously, too).

"Oh, then you won't mind staying for a while longer... da?" the smile was back, and in full force, as the male 'glared' down at him...

"O-of course... not... aru!" he gulped, the 'aru' that he had been working so long to keep out of his speech was back -and with a vengeance.

This could not be good...

"Kolkolkol~"